Wednesday, 5 December 2012

Fudge is marvellous. Beer is marvellous. So why not shove them together to make one dazzling, mega-foxy-marvellous creation?

I can't claim to have come up with this idea - the boy fancied some and I happily accepted my mission. And by golly did it turn out tasty. You see, much like pineapple and ham, or salt and caramel, these two crazy cats are somewhat made for each other. The sweet, stodginess of the fudge is an ideal match for the earthy, zingy, hops flavour the beer brings to the table.

The quantities of beer I've settled on (60-80ml) result in a fudge that isn't overpoweringly beery, but don't be scared to adjust the amount of beer you use if you want a boozier treat! If you put less in, the fudge is slightly crumblier. If you add more for a fuller beer flavour, the fudge will end up softer.

Beer fudgeMakes enough to fill three small gift boxes, or two lunchbox-sized tupperware pots.

You will need:

420g demerara sugar

115ml milk

120g butter

1 tin (397g) of condensed milk

60-80ml beer of your choice (I used Stella, because it's The Boy's beer of choice, but pick and choose an ale or lager of your choice.)

Make it!

Put everything except the beer into a saucepan over a low heat. Wait for the sugar to dissolve.

Gently bring the mixture to the boil and simmer it for 10-15 mins, stirring frequently to stop it sticking to the pan. (Beware: this is the bit where the mixture - or lava, as it should be called - can spit at you if you stir it too vigorously.)

If you have a sugar thermometer, brill. Just dip it in and wait for it to reach 118 degrees celsius. If you're not as much of a geek as me: have no fear. After 10 mins or so of simmering, get a glass of ice cold water and plop a little blob of mixture into it. If it forms a nice soft ball, you're done.

Take the fudge off the heat and beat it like crazy, adding a healthy splash of beer every few seconds. It will take roughly 5-10 mins for it to go all thick and firm. Don't be afraid to lift the spoon up nice and high as you beat and let the fudge cascade back into the pan - the more oxygen that gets to it, the quicker it will set.

Pour the mix into a greaseproof-lined tin. Let it cool for about half an hour (it will set in around 60-90 minutes so be careful not to let it get too hard!) and then cut into squares.

16 comments:

Great idea....what why use Stella. It doesn't taste of much and the flavours are more complimentary to very plain foods.

What you ideally want to do is use a beer that will compliment the sweetness and possibly add some additional flavours. I'm going to assume you're in the UK. Here are some beers available in bottles that, in my opinion, would work MUCH better than Stella (I'm a beer writer FYI).

Totally love this advice, handmaid! I only used Stella because it was what my recipe-tester requested as his favourite beer, but I would defo use one of the more premium, complex beers you mentioned if I was making this again!

Hiya Rose, sorry to hear that. :( Can I ask how much beer you're using? And is the fudge definitely getting to the 'soft ball' temperature before you take it off the heat? I once made the mistake of not letting it get all the way to 118 degrees (it took longer than usual) and it didn't turn out right at all. Also, the beating stage can be a bit tiring, I have to admit the second time I made it I took it in turns with someone because it can take a few minutes for enough oxygen to get to the fudge so that it thickens nicely. Hope this helps!